lost to all but a few of the highest ranking demi-fates is a legend of a prophecy telling of the end of order and certainty, the failure of fate, and the onset of chaos. the prophecy was made by the original fates and set to stone, which has broken and separated in the years since it's creation. gathering these pieces of prophecy is one of the highest priorities of the organizations.
although the truth of the prophecy is a closely kept secret, it exists as a fairy tale among the demi-fates. the harbingers were unearthly demons that consumed the powers of demi-fates and stole their destinies. but as long as the ideals of the society (later the organization) were strongly held, the harbingers could do no harm.
Showing posts with label rule of three. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rule of three. Show all posts
Thursday, December 18, 2008
the origins of an era
a long time ago, three women exhibiting godlike powers took the fates as their names and began to carve their domain out of the chaotic world. as their dominion grew, they bestowed powers upon their most loyal followers, who became gods to the normal humans.
eventually, the fates succumbed to mortality, and what remained of their dominion dissipated. from the remnants of their closest followers, the "society" was born. those with powers became known as the demi-fates and became leaders of the society. anybody found born with powers was conscripted by the society and apprenticed to the demi-fates.
although the society was initially bound by the ideals of the original fates, disparate ideologies began to grow, dividing the demi-fates nearly evenly by which of the three power aspects they had. this led to the fracture of the society and the formation of the three organizations as they are known today.
eventually, the fates succumbed to mortality, and what remained of their dominion dissipated. from the remnants of their closest followers, the "society" was born. those with powers became known as the demi-fates and became leaders of the society. anybody found born with powers was conscripted by the society and apprenticed to the demi-fates.
although the society was initially bound by the ideals of the original fates, disparate ideologies began to grow, dividing the demi-fates nearly evenly by which of the three power aspects they had. this led to the fracture of the society and the formation of the three organizations as they are known today.
Monday, November 10, 2008
character sketch: christopher cowman (part 2)
here's the back story i promised last time. including this, there seems to be more information on christopher than even harriot. that may be 'technically' true, but this is just a single anecdote that sums christopher's impetus, whereas harriot's character is much more open ended. but enough self-criticism, here's the events that led to the present incarnation (relatively speaking) of christopher cowman.
as a teen, christopher had a crush on this cute red head he'd seen while working at his father's garage. apparently her family had just moved to town and were getting settled. he didn't even know her name, but he knew he'd marry her. the thought made him sad sometimes, but he didn't know why. one day he came across her being accosted by two obviously drunk men. this was the first time he'd ever let his anger flare as hot as it did. afterwards, he'd never remember actually doing anything. he does remember images like photographs flashing in his mind: him sitting over each of the mens' bodies, bashing their skulls in with a rock. she was passed out, so he picked her up and carried her to the doctor. she came to on the way and realized who she was with. she hugged him tight and in between sobs kept repeating "thank you thank you thank you" all the way to the doctor.
he finally learned that lilly was her name. she and christopher were inseparable for the next couple of weeks and were married within a month of his rescue. not long after that, he found out he was going to be a father.
it was inevitable that their relationship would begin to chafe young christopher. he couldn't leave lilly alone when he left for work, so everyday he'd drop her off and pick her up from her folk's home, and every night he'd stay home with her. one night, about three months into the marriage, he lost his patience with her dependance on him. he wanted to go out, and she didn't want to be left alone. heated words were exchanged, and lilly said that christopher wasn't her baby's father.
his anger flared. it didn't matter that it was true or not. as his fingers clenched, shock and horror for what he was about to do swelled in his mind, but not enough to diminish his fury. the image of his fist flying at lilly's face was smothered by the lightning that showed him hanging by the neck from a gallows, surrounded by the hateful, the curious and the disinterested.
when he regained control of his faculties, lilly lay at his feet, bleeding from a gash on her head. panicked, he carried her to his truck and took her to the doctor, but she was dead before they got there.
christopher slipped out while the doctor was calling the police. he knew what was in store for him, and he knew he deserved it, but he was more terrified than at any other time in his life. so he ran. all he could think of was to run, that and the images of lilly's and his death burning in his head.
as a teen, christopher had a crush on this cute red head he'd seen while working at his father's garage. apparently her family had just moved to town and were getting settled. he didn't even know her name, but he knew he'd marry her. the thought made him sad sometimes, but he didn't know why. one day he came across her being accosted by two obviously drunk men. this was the first time he'd ever let his anger flare as hot as it did. afterwards, he'd never remember actually doing anything. he does remember images like photographs flashing in his mind: him sitting over each of the mens' bodies, bashing their skulls in with a rock. she was passed out, so he picked her up and carried her to the doctor. she came to on the way and realized who she was with. she hugged him tight and in between sobs kept repeating "thank you thank you thank you" all the way to the doctor.
he finally learned that lilly was her name. she and christopher were inseparable for the next couple of weeks and were married within a month of his rescue. not long after that, he found out he was going to be a father.
it was inevitable that their relationship would begin to chafe young christopher. he couldn't leave lilly alone when he left for work, so everyday he'd drop her off and pick her up from her folk's home, and every night he'd stay home with her. one night, about three months into the marriage, he lost his patience with her dependance on him. he wanted to go out, and she didn't want to be left alone. heated words were exchanged, and lilly said that christopher wasn't her baby's father.
his anger flared. it didn't matter that it was true or not. as his fingers clenched, shock and horror for what he was about to do swelled in his mind, but not enough to diminish his fury. the image of his fist flying at lilly's face was smothered by the lightning that showed him hanging by the neck from a gallows, surrounded by the hateful, the curious and the disinterested.
when he regained control of his faculties, lilly lay at his feet, bleeding from a gash on her head. panicked, he carried her to his truck and took her to the doctor, but she was dead before they got there.
christopher slipped out while the doctor was calling the police. he knew what was in store for him, and he knew he deserved it, but he was more terrified than at any other time in his life. so he ran. all he could think of was to run, that and the images of lilly's and his death burning in his head.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
character sketch: christopher cowman
i'm posting a short character sketch today. i don't know, maybe he'll show up later. harriot, oscar and dexter aren't the only power users in this world. i've got some back story for him, and i'll post it some time. right now i'm not entirely happy with it. maybe after some editing...
christopher knows he'll hang. he deserves no less. he saw it--so long ago but he could never forget. the moment his fist touched her face, the vision of his fate burned in his mind. it was like a lightning bolt landing just outside the window of a pitch black room, and just as violent.
he deserves it, but he's afraid. he doesn't want to die. so he runs. and he's been running since. he's a capable mechanic, and quiet, so he doesn't have much trouble getting jobs in the towns he passes. he tries to avoid people in general; if he touches them he gets a vision of their death. it's impossible to avoid entirely, though, and he excepts it as a sort of penance. sometimes he wonders why it doesn't hurt like the first time. sometimes he wishes it would. sometimes it hurts enough.
christopher knows he'll hang. he deserves no less. he saw it--so long ago but he could never forget. the moment his fist touched her face, the vision of his fate burned in his mind. it was like a lightning bolt landing just outside the window of a pitch black room, and just as violent.
he deserves it, but he's afraid. he doesn't want to die. so he runs. and he's been running since. he's a capable mechanic, and quiet, so he doesn't have much trouble getting jobs in the towns he passes. he tries to avoid people in general; if he touches them he gets a vision of their death. it's impossible to avoid entirely, though, and he excepts it as a sort of penance. sometimes he wonders why it doesn't hurt like the first time. sometimes he wishes it would. sometimes it hurts enough.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
how things fit
the three characters described in previous posts are intended to be the main characters in a story my friend and i are making. (i hesitate to use the word protagonists, as it's not clear now what direction any of them will take.)
the story is set in the 1950's and follows three characters as they begin a mystic quest on behalf of a mysterious organization, in the hopes of filling a void in their lives. they don't know the ultimate goal of this organization, nor the consequences of their success.
harriot is the "main" main character; oscar and buzz are important, but most of the time (all of the time?) the pov is harriot's. the organization believes that there is one person destined to complete the quest, but they don't know who. so they just tap any person showing signs of "power". they go through literally hundreds a year, with everyone ultimately dying. these three are the first to last so long, and have a serious chance of completing the quest. due to external pressures (of some unknown, mystic nature), the organization is forced to certify one of the three as "the one". conflict comes from the quest and harriot's interactions with oscar, buzz, other questers, and the organization.
the nature of "power" in this world is base on perception. those with "power", whom i'll call power-users, are able to interact with their perceptions in two distinct ways: observation and actuation. furthermore, there are different levels to which a power-user can take this interaction: involuntary(weakest), reflexive, intentional(strongest). this is not to say that power-users interact with all they perceive; they only have access to some well defined aspect of their perception. those who have strong aptitude for observation tend to be weak with respect to actuation, and vice-versa. everyone is capable of learning to use their power intentionally.
much of the story is inspired by an anime call "the law of ueki". there 100 middle schoolers are entered into a tournament representing 100 "god candidates". the next god will be the candidate whose champion wins the tournement. each candidate has bestowed a power on their champion. in this world, the nature of these powers also obey specific rules; all powers turn one specific thing into another. for example, one character can turn towels into steel, another can turn water into fire, and so on. the main character, ueki kouske, seems to have the weakest power (he can turn trash into trees), but his creativity and sense of justice repeatedly carries him to victory.
i know, i know, but my story is only loosely inspired by the anime. anyway, i'm currently compiling a list of books harriot may have read, for initial research.
the story is set in the 1950's and follows three characters as they begin a mystic quest on behalf of a mysterious organization, in the hopes of filling a void in their lives. they don't know the ultimate goal of this organization, nor the consequences of their success.
harriot is the "main" main character; oscar and buzz are important, but most of the time (all of the time?) the pov is harriot's. the organization believes that there is one person destined to complete the quest, but they don't know who. so they just tap any person showing signs of "power". they go through literally hundreds a year, with everyone ultimately dying. these three are the first to last so long, and have a serious chance of completing the quest. due to external pressures (of some unknown, mystic nature), the organization is forced to certify one of the three as "the one". conflict comes from the quest and harriot's interactions with oscar, buzz, other questers, and the organization.
the nature of "power" in this world is base on perception. those with "power", whom i'll call power-users, are able to interact with their perceptions in two distinct ways: observation and actuation. furthermore, there are different levels to which a power-user can take this interaction: involuntary(weakest), reflexive, intentional(strongest). this is not to say that power-users interact with all they perceive; they only have access to some well defined aspect of their perception. those who have strong aptitude for observation tend to be weak with respect to actuation, and vice-versa. everyone is capable of learning to use their power intentionally.
much of the story is inspired by an anime call "the law of ueki". there 100 middle schoolers are entered into a tournament representing 100 "god candidates". the next god will be the candidate whose champion wins the tournement. each candidate has bestowed a power on their champion. in this world, the nature of these powers also obey specific rules; all powers turn one specific thing into another. for example, one character can turn towels into steel, another can turn water into fire, and so on. the main character, ueki kouske, seems to have the weakest power (he can turn trash into trees), but his creativity and sense of justice repeatedly carries him to victory.
i know, i know, but my story is only loosely inspired by the anime. anyway, i'm currently compiling a list of books harriot may have read, for initial research.
Friday, October 3, 2008
character sketch: dexter busby (aka buzz)
dexter is an optimistic all-american kid just out of high school. he's a man of platitudes. he's also very much a creature of the present; he has no real aspirations for the future. After all, "it'll turn out". his optimism isn't without basis. he's lucky. very lucky. for as long as he can remember he's been lucky and he knows it. that's not to say that he isn't smart or capable, "luck'll only take you so far". of course, "a little luck goes a long way".
nothing has really been out of reach for buzz: he was the star of the baseball team, most popular guy at school, and never lacked a date on saturday night. that notwithstanding, his reach never really exceeded his grasp: he enjoyed baseball, so he excelled; making friends was easy when everyone wanted to be your friend; athletic + popular + good-looking = lots of attention from girls.
enter the mysterious stranger who asks a simple question for which buzz has no answer. why? he recognizes that he's gifted beyond just about everyone. but for what purpose? is there a purpose? that's the one thing buzz's life has been missing, and, somewhat to his consternation, is not forthcoming. perhaps this stranger, with his particularly pointed question, also has some answers.
nothing has really been out of reach for buzz: he was the star of the baseball team, most popular guy at school, and never lacked a date on saturday night. that notwithstanding, his reach never really exceeded his grasp: he enjoyed baseball, so he excelled; making friends was easy when everyone wanted to be your friend; athletic + popular + good-looking = lots of attention from girls.
enter the mysterious stranger who asks a simple question for which buzz has no answer. why? he recognizes that he's gifted beyond just about everyone. but for what purpose? is there a purpose? that's the one thing buzz's life has been missing, and, somewhat to his consternation, is not forthcoming. perhaps this stranger, with his particularly pointed question, also has some answers.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
character sketch: oscar rickey
perhaps the one person who cares for harriot despite her personality (excepting her mother, of course), oscar barely registers on her radar. where she's only known him for a couple years (as her neighbor), he's known her since they were in middle school together, and been her silent admirer nearly that whole time.
oscar's fairly average by most accounts, with one exception. he holds his beliefs intensely and is absolutely certain in the veracity of his world view. until recently, there were two indisputable facts at the center of his life: first, there was no man (including him) good enough for harriot; second, he's the person she needs the most, since he's the only one who truly understands her. that's why he does whatever he needs to do to be part of her life. the fact that harriot has had (very) little success in social situations has kept oscar from going off on some fit of deluded paranoia. (yes, his convictions border on insanity. but since his situation is as it is, they keep him in line with society. he's even considered a fine young gentleman.)
that equilibrium was disrupted when he met a mysterious stranger promising a path to power and prestige. now, there are possibilities open to him that were previously inconceivable. perhaps he'll soon convince harriot that they were meant to be.
oscar's fairly average by most accounts, with one exception. he holds his beliefs intensely and is absolutely certain in the veracity of his world view. until recently, there were two indisputable facts at the center of his life: first, there was no man (including him) good enough for harriot; second, he's the person she needs the most, since he's the only one who truly understands her. that's why he does whatever he needs to do to be part of her life. the fact that harriot has had (very) little success in social situations has kept oscar from going off on some fit of deluded paranoia. (yes, his convictions border on insanity. but since his situation is as it is, they keep him in line with society. he's even considered a fine young gentleman.)
that equilibrium was disrupted when he met a mysterious stranger promising a path to power and prestige. now, there are possibilities open to him that were previously inconceivable. perhaps he'll soon convince harriot that they were meant to be.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
character sketch: harriot cooper
she's a confident and independent 23 year old with a razor wit. which, in 1955 terms, means she's a socially awkward outsider. so despite her rubenesque figure, which she makes very little effort to hide, no one really dares to brave her acerbic tongue. women are uncomfortable around her and men would rather be elsewhere.
she performs her duties as a nurse with diligence and pride. everyone she talks with has a nickname for her (including harry, hattie, babe, doll, etc.), even though she constantly insists on being called harriot. Despite her lack of grace, her boss seems to be intensely attracted to her (ass).
still, she's happy with the way her life has turned out. well, sort of. actually, she's rather bored with her life. she lives alone. she spends most of here free time with her extensive collection of jazz and blues records. she's a fan of escapist fantasy novels, like the works of hg wells and jules verne. she also devours riddles just about as soon as she's heard them.
one day, a mysterious stranger suggests that she may be destined for greatness. though initially doubtful, the prospect of adventure stews in her mind until she eventually gives in and takes her first steps onto an incredible journey.
she performs her duties as a nurse with diligence and pride. everyone she talks with has a nickname for her (including harry, hattie, babe, doll, etc.), even though she constantly insists on being called harriot. Despite her lack of grace, her boss seems to be intensely attracted to her (ass).
still, she's happy with the way her life has turned out. well, sort of. actually, she's rather bored with her life. she lives alone. she spends most of here free time with her extensive collection of jazz and blues records. she's a fan of escapist fantasy novels, like the works of hg wells and jules verne. she also devours riddles just about as soon as she's heard them.
one day, a mysterious stranger suggests that she may be destined for greatness. though initially doubtful, the prospect of adventure stews in her mind until she eventually gives in and takes her first steps onto an incredible journey.
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